Animal trap

ABSTRACT

An animal trap, according to one embodiment, includes: a first portion having upper and a lower ends; a second portion in sliding relationship with the first portion, the first and second portions being relatively positionable between cocked and deployed positions; a biasing mechanism for biasing the first and second portions towards the deployed position; a trigger mechanism for selectively locking the first and second portions in the cocked position; and an end unit removably coupled to the lower end of the first portion. The end unit includes: a base; at least two unique members extending from a bottom end of the base; and a bottom portion coupled to a distal end of each of the unique members. A first end of each of the unique members is coupled to the base, while each of the distal ends are at a second end of each of the unique members.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to animal traps, and more particularly,this invention relates to aboveground, mechanical animal traps.

BACKGROUND

Many different conventional aboveground animal traps exist in themarketplace today. However, often times it is difficult to set theseconventional aboveground traps, as the triggering mechanisms are oftencomplex and very sensitive. Furthermore, some sort of bait is usuallyimplemented to draw a target animal species to the trigger of the animaltrap. However, it is difficult to apply the bait in an effective mannerto conventional aboveground animal traps as an individual setting thetrap usually triggers it while trying to apply the bait.

Conventional traps which include poison are also highly undesirable asthey can be harmful to people who may come into close proximity to it.The poison may also contaminate the area with the potential of beingspread elsewhere, thereby resulting in undesirable and unintendedeffects. Moreover, poisons can be expensive as well as unavailable tothe general public, thereby making them an undesirable solution toanimal control.

As a result, conventional animal trap products tend to increase userinteraction, thereby decreasing their effectiveness and ease ofoperation. Therefore, it would be beneficial to have an animal trapproduct which possesses a more efficient design and/or mechanicalproperties.

SUMMARY

An animal trap, according to one embodiment, includes: a first portionhaving an upper end and a lower end; a second portion in slidingrelationship with the first portion, the first and second portions beingrelatively positionable between a cocked position and a deployedposition; a biasing mechanism for biasing the first and second portionstowards the deployed position; a trigger mechanism for selectivelylocking the first and second portions in the cocked position; and an endunit removably coupled to the lower end of the first portion. The endunit includes: a base; at least two unique members extending from abottom end of the base; and a bottom portion coupled to a distal end ofeach of the unique members. A first end of each of the unique members iscoupled to the base, while each of the distal ends are at a second endof each of the unique members, the second end being opposite the firstend along a longitudinal length of each of the unique members.

Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from the following detailed description, which, when taken inconjunction with the drawings, illustrate by way of example theprinciples of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a fuller understanding of the nature and advantages of the presentinvention, as well as the preferred mode of use, reference should bemade to the following detailed description read in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of an animal trap according to oneembodiment.

FIG. 2 is a cocked side view of an animal trap according to oneembodiment.

FIG. 3 is a deployed side view of the animal trap according of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4A is a detailed partial cross-sectional view of a cocked triggeraccording to one embodiment.

FIG. 4B is a detailed partial cross-sectional view of a deployed triggeraccording to one embodiment.

FIG. 5A is a detailed partial cross-sectional view of a cocked triggeraccording to one embodiment.

FIG. 5B is a detailed partial cross-sectional view of a cocked triggeraccording to one embodiment.

FIG. 5C is a detailed partial cross-sectional view of a deployed triggeraccording to one embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a partial detailed side view of members with feet, accordingto one embodiment.

FIG. 7 is an animal trap in use, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 8A is a partial perspective view of an animal trap with a removableend unit according to one embodiment.

FIG. 8B is a partial perspective view of an animal trap with a removableend unit according to one embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description is made for the purpose of illustrating thegeneral principles of the present invention and is not meant to limitthe inventive concepts claimed herein. Further, particular featuresdescribed herein can be used in combination with other describedfeatures in each of the various possible combinations and permutations.

Unless otherwise specifically defined herein, all terms are to be giventheir broadest possible interpretation including meanings implied fromthe specification as well as meanings understood by those skilled in theart and/or as defined in dictionaries, treatises, etc.

It must also be noted that, as used in the specification and theappended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” include pluralreferents unless otherwise specified.

The following description discloses several preferred embodiments of ananimal trap and/or related systems and methods.

In one general embodiment, an animal trap includes: a first portionhaving an upper end and a lower end; a second portion in slidingrelationship with the first portion, the first and second portions beingrelatively positionable between a cocked position and a deployedposition; a biasing mechanism for biasing the first and second portionstowards the deployed position; a trigger mechanism for selectivelylocking the first and second portions in the cocked position; and an endunit removably coupled to the lower end of the first portion. The endunit includes: a base; at least two unique members extending from abottom end of the base; and a bottom portion coupled to a distal end ofeach of the unique members. A first end of each of the unique members iscoupled to the base, while each of the distal ends are at a second endof each of the unique members, the second end being opposite the firstend along a longitudinal length of each of the unique members.

FIG. 1 depicts an animal trap 100 for trapping animals, in accordancewith one embodiment, as described in. As an option, the present animaltrap 100 may be implemented in conjunction with features from any otherembodiment listed herein, such as those described with reference to theother FIGS. Of course, however, such animal trap 100 and otherspresented herein may be used in various applications and/or inpermutations which may or may not be specifically described in theillustrative embodiments listed herein. Further, the animal trap 100presented herein may be used in any desired environment. Moreover,common numbering may be implemented for some and/or all of the FIGS.presented herein.

Referring now to FIGS. 1-3, the animal trap 100 includes a first portion102 having an upper and lower end 104, 106. As shown in FIG. 1, a cap103 may be coupled to the upper end 104, e.g., by a pin 105, anadhesive, frictional coupling, etc. The cap 103 retains a biasingmechanism 114, an example of which is described in more detail below. Ofcourse, other approaches may be used instead of a cap and/or externalbiasing mechanism as shown, such as an integral flange extending aroundthe upper end 104, an internal biasing mechanism abutting an internalportion of the first portion, etc.

With continued reference to FIG. 1, the animal trap 100 includes asecond portion 108 in sliding relationship with the first portion 102.Moreover, the first and second portions 102, 108 may be relativelypositionable between a cocked position and a deployed position, asdepicted in FIGS. 2 and 3, respectively. According to variousapproaches, the second portion may be positioned outside the firstportion, the first portion may be positioned outside the second portion,etc.

With continued reference to FIG. 1, the lower end 107 of the secondportion 108 may preferably be serrated to better capture an animal whichmay trip the trigger mechanism which is described in further detailbelow. In other approaches, the lower end of the second portions may beflat, a sharp edge, etc. or any other texture which would be apparent toone skilled in the art after reading the present description.

As shown in FIG. 1, a sleeve member 111 may be coupled to the upper end109 of the second portion 108, e.g., to retain the biasing mechanism114. Alternative approaches may use any type of mechanism to engage orretain the biasing mechanism, such as an integral flange, a pin, aninternal member in an approach where the biasing mechanism is internal,etc.

In another approach, the animal trap may include an indicator 113 thatis visible when the first and second portions are in a deployedposition. In the embodiment shown, the indicator is a colored region onthe first portion. According to various approaches, the indicator mayinclude a visibly distinct portion of the first and/or second portions,a light source, an audio source, a wireless signal which is relayed to areceiver, a flag, etc. or any other indicator which would be apparent toone skilled in the art after reading the present description.

This indicator preferably notifies a user if the trap has been deployed,even when the lower end of the second portion is submerged below theground. Thus, the relative position between the first and secondportions may be discerned without removing the trap from its partiallysubmerged location.

With reference to FIGS. 2 and 4, the animal trap 100 includes members110 extending from the lower end 106 of the first portion 102.Furthermore, the members 110 protrude beyond the second portion 108 whenthe second portion 108 and the first portion 102 are in the cockedposition as shown.

The animal trap 100 additionally includes a bottom portion 112 e.g. aring, a plate, etc. coupled to distal ends of the members 110. In oneapproach, the bottom portion may be coupled to the lower end of thefirst portion. In another approach, a longitudinal length of each of themembers may extend between the lower end of the first portion and thebottom portion, explained in detail below. Preferably, the bottomportion may be rigid or substantially inflexible such that it may retainits general shape when in the cocked and/or deployed position.

Moreover, the bottom portion 112 may be farther from the second portion108 when the first and second portions 102, 108 are in the cockedposition than when in the deployed position. Preferably, the bottomportion 112 is about adjacent a lower end 107 of the second portion 108when in the deployed position. According to the present description,“about adjacent” may most preferably signify a state in which the bottomportion and the lower end are close enough together to trap a part of ananimal which may trip the trigger mechanism, explained in more detailbelow. According to various approaches, “about adjacent” may beperfectly adjacent, the bottom portion being recessed into the secondportion, be within a range of values, etc. In one illustrative example,“about adjacent” may be within the range of about ±1 in to about ±0.1 inbetween the bottom portion and the lower end of the second portion; butmay be more or less depending on the desired embodiment.

According to various approaches, the overall length of the animal trapas measured by the dimension between the furthest most ends of theanimal trap in the cocked position may be between about 6 in (inch) andabout 36 in, but could be higher or lower based on the desiredembodiment. In other approaches, the dimension between the bottomportion 112 and the lower end 107 of the second portion when the trap isin the cocked position may be from about 1 in to about 12 in, but may behigher or lower based on the desired embodiment.

The animal trap 100 depicted in FIG. 1 also includes a biasing mechanism114, e.g. a spring, hydraulic tube, pressurized compartment, etc. forbiasing the first and second portions 102, 108 towards the deployedposition. Thus, the biasing mechanism may bias the first and secondportions towards a deployed position upon having a trigger mechanismtripped, thereby bringing the bottom portion about adjacent to the lowerend of the second portion to preferably trap a part of the animal whichtripped the trigger mechanism.

In a preferred embodiment, the biasing mechanism is sufficient to holdthe trapped animal as well as deploy the animal trap fast enough to trapthe animal before it is able to escape. According to various approaches,the force of the biasing mechanism may range between about 3 and about15 pounds of force in the deployed position, but may be higher or lowerbased on the desired embodiment. According to one approach, the biasingmechanism may be positioned between the upper end of the first portionand an upper end of the second portion.

Furthermore, the animal trap 100 includes a trigger mechanism forselectively locking the first and second portions 102, 108 in the cockedposition. As depicted in FIG. 1, the trigger mechanism in oneillustrative embodiment includes portions 118, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123.Note that any type of known trigger mechanism may be adapted for usewith various embodiments, as will be apparent to one skilled in the artafter reading the present disclosure.

According to the present embodiment, and with particular reference toFIGS. 2, 4-5 the trigger mechanism additionally includes a trigger 124extending between the members 110, wherein actuation of the trigger 124causes the release of the second portion 102 and first portion 108 fromthe cocked position. Thereby the aforementioned biasing mechanism mayquickly bias the first and second portions toward the deployed position.In one approach, the trigger may preferably be exposed when the firstand second portions are in a cocked position.

Referring now to FIGS. 4A-4B, the trigger mechanism is depicted inaccordance with an illustrative embodiment. Moreover, portions 118, 119,120, 121, 122, and 123 may be arranged such that a force applied to thetrigger 124 about perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the trigger124, may allow portion 118 to shift its position, thereby releasing thesecond portion 102 and first portion 108 from the cocked position.

In a preferred approach, the trigger mechanism may be self-resetting,self-actuating, self-setting, etc. when the first and second portionsare moved from the deployed position to the cocked position. This may beaccomplished by implementing a tab, a pivoting pin, etc., such asportion 118, which may be activated by the relative motion between thefirst and second portions toward a cocked position. Thereby the triggermechanism may be reset each time the first and second portions are slidinto the cocked position.

In one illustrative approach, as depicted in FIGS. 1, 4A-4B, the secondportion 108 includes a first slot 130 and a second slot 132. As shown inFIG. 4A, a tab 134 of the portion 118 extends into the second slot 132when the animal trap is in the cocked position, which in conjunctionwith a lower end of the portion 118 abutting the upper tip of thetrigger 124, locks the animal trap in the cocked position. The relativebiasing of the first and second portions in the cocked position exerts aforce on the tab 134 that translates into a biasing of the lower end ofthe portion 118 towards the trigger 124.

Referring to FIG. 4A, when the trigger 124 is tripped, the lower end ofthe portion 118 is released, which in turn retracts the tab 134 of theportion 118 from the second slot 132, which releases the animal trap fordeployment to the deployed position.

During deployment, the upper end 136 of the portion 118 is received inthe first slot 130. When the animal trap is moved towards the cockedposition, the bottom of the first slot 130 engages the upper end 136 ofthe portion 118, thereby urging the portion 118 towards a lockedposition, shown in FIG. 4B. Thus, the trigger mechanism in theillustrated embodiment is considered self-resetting.

In a preferred embodiment, the trigger mechanism may be omnidirectional.As used herein, an omnidirectional trigger mechanism may be tripped by aforce applied to the trigger 124 along any direction in a plane orientedperpendicular to a direction of movement of the first and secondportions 102, 108 between the cocked and deployed positions, e.g., theplane is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the trap, in theillustrate embodiment. As a result, the animal trap may be deployed suchthat it may have any radial orientation about its longitudinal axiswithout sacrificing effectiveness. This is different than conventionaltraps, as they usually have a one, or maybe two directional trigger,thereby requiring a specific orientation of the given trap with relationto the path of the animal in order to be effective. Thus, for thepreferred embodiment, the trigger mechanism may be tripped by an animal,regardless of the radial orientation of the trap, relative to an animal.In further approaches, any type of trigger known in the art may be used,depending on the desired embodiment, as will be apparent to one skilledin the art after reading the present disclosure.

In another approach, the trigger mechanism may be trippable by actuatingthe trigger in a direction about parallel to the direction of movementbetween the cocked and deployed positions, e.g., about along thelongitudinal axis of the trap. In a further approach, the triggermechanism may be omnidirectional as well as trippable in the directionabout parallel to the direction of movement between the cocked anddeployed positions.

Referring now to FIGS. 5A-5C, there is shown an alternate embodiment ofa trigger mechanism in a cocked, engaged, and deployed position,respectively. Such an embodiment allows an animal to enter farther intothe area between the bottom portion 112 and the remainder of the trap.This embodiment increases the likelihood that an animal will be securelycaught by presenting more of its body to the trap. This approach alsoreduces the likelihood that a wary animal will partially engage thetrigger but back out of the trap before tripping the trigger. Thetrigger mechanism may include a member having an aperture that taperstogether towards a receiving portion for receiving the trigger. Asdepicted, the trigger 124 has a bulbous end that is slidably received inthe receiving portion, preferably such that the trigger mechanism maystill be omnidirectional.

In a preferred approach, the trigger may preferably be short enoughand/or resistive enough to allow dirt being pushed by an animal throughthe members, to pass by the trigger without actuating it and deployingthe trap. However, the trigger may preferably be long enough and/orunconstrained enough to be actuated when an animal itself contacts thetrigger.

In a preferred embodiment, the members 110 may be preferably resilientlydeformable, including metals, alloys, polycarbonates, etc. or any othermaterial not easily chewable by an animal which would be apparent to oneskilled in the art after reading the present description. In a preferredapproach, the members may include spring steel, or like material.Preferably, the members are constructed of a corrosion resistantmaterial such as stainless steel, etc.

Being resiliently deformable, the members may be able to quickly retractwhen the trap has been deployed without inhibiting the relative motionbetween the first and second portions, caused by the biasing mechanism.This may be highly desirable as to ensure that the animal is not able toescape before the first and second portions are able to reach thedeployed position.

Resiliently deformable members are also capable of lateral expansion asthe bottom member comes into contact with the base of a tunnel, hole,etc. when the trap is in the cocked position. See FIG. 7. This isbeneficial in that the volume defined inside the members increases,thereby permitting easier entry therein to the animal. Moreover, themembers bowing towards the walls of the tunnel reduces the chance thatthe animal will pass outside of the area between the members where thetrigger resides.

Thus in one approach, the members may be primarily flexible along asingle plane but not in the other planes e.g. by using a leaf typespring. As alluded to above, flex in the members may also increase theseparation between the members as to allow an animal to pass through themembers more easily. This may allow the trigger to become more exposedand thus more easily trippable by an animal. Therefore, the embodimentsdescribed and/or suggested herein may adjust to comply with eachenvironment in which they are used. However, in yet another approach,the members may be rigid.

Now referring to FIG. 6, according to one embodiment, the members 110 ofthe animal trap 100 may include feet 602 adjacent the bottom portion 112such that the feet may urge the members to flex away from the triggerwhen engaging a surface(see the dotted outline in FIG. 6), such as thebottom of a tunnel. This may preferably prevent the members from flexingtoward the trigger, which may either trip the trigger or block it frombeing tripped. According to various approaches, the feet may beextensions of the members, material attached to the members, etc.

In a preferred approach, an animal trap may include at least threemembers extending from the lower end of the first portion and coupled tothe bottom portion, but may have more or less depending on the desiredembodiment. However, if an animal trap includes less than three members,then the bottom portion connected thereto may shift or pivot during use.As a result, the bottom portion may not remain generally aligned withthe longitudinal axis of the trap, and the trap may fail to capture ananimal even when the animal actuates the trigger. However, suchmisalignment may be remedied to some extent by using wider members, suchas wide leaf-spring type members that resist flexing out of a planeoriented perpendicular to the widest plane of the member. Thus,preferred embodiments have at least three members. Moreover, if the twomembers are aligned with the tunnel, the animal may simply walk aroundthe members and miss the trigger.

In a further approach, the at least three members are preferably evenlyspaced to ensure that the bottom member is about centered along thelongitudinal axis of the animal trap. The use of three or more membersmay also preferably reduce dependency upon aligning any portion of thetrap with the animal's path.

In one approach, an animal trap may include a stopping mechanismincorporated to stop the first and second portions at the deployedposition. According to various approaches, the stopping mechanism may bea lip, a flange, etc. on the first portion, the second portion, and/orthe bottom portion; a part of the trigger mechanism; etc. The stoppingmechanism may be included to prevent wear on the other components of theanimal trap during use, thereby increasing the effective lifetime of theanimal trap.

Referring now to FIG. 7, an animal trap 100 is shown being usedaccording to one approach. The animal trap 100 is partially submerged inthe ground 702 such that it may intercept the path of an animal along atunnel 704. In a preferred approach, when the animal trap is set, theupper end may be oriented towards the sky. In a further approach, theanimal trap may be oriented such that the axis between its upper andlower ends (longitudinal axis) may be about perpendicular to the planeof the ground 702 in which it is submerged. However, the axisorientation may be angled in any manner desired based on the particularsituation in which used.

Although not originally foreseeable, with use and over time, theinventor discovered that the members and/or bottom portion included inthe animal trap embodiments introduced above became damaged. The forcesrepeatedly exerted on the members and/or bottom portion by the biasingmechanism (e.g., spring) when triggered, as well as the external forcesexerted on the members and/or bottom portion by animals when caught inthe animal trap, caused incremental damage which ultimately resulted infailure of one or more of the components included in the animal trap.The inventor further discovered that these failures caused theperformance of the animal trap to become compromised, therebyundesirably resulting in a drop in effectiveness of the device. In aneffort to counteract this damage, the inventor designed and developed animprovement to the structure of the embodiments included above, whichenables the members and bottom portion to be replaced without having todisassemble the animal trap or replace it altogether, e.g., as will bedescribed in further detail below with reference to FIGS. 8A-8B. As aresult, this improvement effectively lengthens the expected lifetime ofthe animal trap as a whole while also ensuring effectiveness of themechanism even with prolonged use over time.

Looking now to FIGS. 8A-8B, animal traps 800, 850 for trapping animalsare shown in accordance with two similar embodiments. As an option, thepresent animal traps 800, 850 may be implemented in conjunction withfeatures from any other embodiment listed herein, such as thosedescribed with reference to the other FIGS. Of course, however, suchanimal traps 800, 850 and others presented herein may be used in variousapplications and/or in permutations which may or may not be specificallydescribed in the illustrative embodiments listed herein. Further, theanimal traps 800, 850 presented herein may be used in any desiredenvironment. Moreover, common numbering may be implemented for someand/or all of the FIGS. presented herein.

As mentioned above, an improvement to the embodiments described aboveincludes the introduction of a removable portion of the animal trapitself. Accordingly, the animal trap 800 of FIG. 8A implements aremovable end unit 802, the removable end unit 802 having members 110which extend from the bottom end 803 of a base 804. Distal ends of themembers 110 are also coupled to a bottom portion 112 e.g. a ring, aplate, etc., according to any of the approaches described herein.

A pattern of an upper end 805 of the base 804 of the removable end unit802 may be selectively engaged (e.g., interlock) with a pattern of thelower end 106 of the first portion 102. As shown, the pattern of theupper end 805 of the base 804 includes ridges and valleys whichpreferably correspond to respective valleys and ridges in the pattern ofthe lower end 106 of the first portion 102 as would be appreciated byone skilled in the art after reading the present description. Theinterlocking patterns of the base 804 and the first portion 102 may varydepending on the desired embodiment. For instance, in some approachesthe patterns may rotatably interlock with each other such that the base804 and the first portion 102 are selectively coupled together as aresult of causing the base 804 to engage the first portion 102 byinducing a relative rotational motion therebetween (e.g., similar torotatably coupling a lid to the base of a jar). In such approaches,fasteners may not be used at all to couple the base 804 to the firstportion 102, thereby increasing the speed by which a removable end unit802 may be replaced. However, in other approaches fasteners may be usedin combination with a rotatably interlocking relationship between thebase 804 and the first portion 102, e.g., to achieve a more secureconnection therebetween.

In other approaches the base 804 and the first portion 102 may simplyalign with each other as a result of the patterns interlocking. In otherwords, the pattern of the upper end 805 of the base 804 may simplyinterlock with the pattern of the lower end 106 of the first portion 102such that the base 804 and the first portion 102 align in a desiredorientation relative to each other. Moreover, the interlocking patternsmay prevent relative rotation between the base 804 and the first portion102, e.g., such that the two portions are effectively rotatably fixedrelative to each other even without any fasteners being used. Thealignment between the base 804 and the first portion 102 caused by thepatterns interlocking may also cause the holes 806, 808 to automaticallyalign, thereby making it easier to couple the base 804 and the firstportion 102 together with fasteners. Moreover, according to variousapproaches, the interlocking patterns may have a different geometricprofile, which may include a curved shape, a triangular (jagged) shape,etc. However, in some embodiments the upper end 805 of the base 804 andthe lower end 106 of the first portion 102 may both be smooth and notpatterned.

Holes 806 through the base 804 preferably align with holes 808 in thelower end 106 of the first portion 102, thereby allowing fasteners 810to couple the base 804 to the lower end 106 of the first portion 102when the two are aligned. Although a screw-like fastener 810 is shown inthe present embodiment, any type of fastener may be used to couple thebase 804 to the lower end 106 of the first portion 102, e.g., such aspins, adhesives, clips, etc. Moreover, although there are three holes806 through the base 804 and three corresponding holes 808 in the lowerend 106 of the first portion 102, any number of holes may be included,e.g., depending on the manner by which the base 804 and the firstportion 102 are coupled together.

As shown, the fasteners 810 are implemented such that they are orientedin a downward facing direction, thereby enabling a user to access thefasteners 810 without having to disassemble the animal trap 800. Becausethe removable end unit 802 is preferably coupled to the lower end 106 ofthe first portion 102, it may be easier to access the fasteners 810 whenthe animal trap is in a cocked position, thereby exposing the removableend unit 802, e.g., as shown in FIGS. 8A-8B. However, the fasteners 810may also be accessed through the opening in the lower end 107 of thesecond portion 108, e.g., using an elongated tool to disengage/engagethe fasteners 810 and thereby replace the removable end unit 802 whilethe first and second portions 102, 108 are in the deployed position,e.g., as would be appreciated by one skilled in the art after readingthe present description.

FIG. 8B illustrates an alternative view of an animal trap 850 which alsoimplements a removable end unit 852. As shown, the removable end unit852 includes similar features to those described above with respect toFIG. 8A, and therefore includes common numbering. Moreover, animal trap850 and/or animal trap 800 may implement any of the approaches describedabove. For example, any of the components included in animal trap 850and/or animal trap 800 (e.g., such as the base 804) may include any ofthe materials described above.

While various embodiments have been described above, it should beunderstood that they have been presented by way of example only, and notlimitation. Thus, the breadth and scope of an embodiment of the presentinvention should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplaryembodiments, but should be defined only in accordance with the followingclaims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. An animal trap, comprising: a first portionhaving an upper end and a lower end; a second portion in slidingrelationship with the first portion, wherein the first and secondportions are relatively positionable between a cocked position and adeployed position; a biasing mechanism configured to bias the first andsecond portions towards the deployed position; a trigger mechanismconfigured to selectively lock the first and second portions in thecocked position; and an end unit removably coupled to the lower end ofthe first portion, the end unit comprising: a base; at least two uniquemembers extending from a bottom end of the base; and a bottom portioncoupled to a distal end of each of the unique members, wherein thebottom portion remains generally centered with a longitudinal axis ofthe first and second portions in the deployed position, wherein a firstend of each of the unique members is coupled to the base, wherein eachof the distal ends are at a second end of each of the unique members,wherein the second end is opposite the first end along a longitudinallength of each of the unique members.
 2. The animal trap as described inclaim 1, wherein the end unit is removably coupled to the lower end ofthe first portion by one or more fasteners selected from a groupconsisting of: screws, pins, adhesives, and clips.
 3. The animal trap asdescribed in claim 2, wherein the one or more fasteners include screws.4. The animal trap as described in claim 1, wherein the end unitincludes one or more holes which extend through the base, wherein thelower end of the first portion includes one or more holes, wherein eachof the one or more holes in the end unit are configured to align with arespective one of the one or more holes in the lower end of the firstportion.
 5. The animal trap as described in claim 4, wherein one or morefasteners extend through the one or more holes in the end unit and theone of the one or more holes in the lower end of the first portion,wherein the end unit is removably coupled to the lower end of the firstportion by the one or more fasteners.
 6. The animal trap as described inclaim 1, wherein an upper end of the base includes a first geometricpattern, wherein the lower end of the first portion includes a secondgeometric pattern, wherein the first and second geometric patterns areconfigured to interlock with each other.
 7. The animal trap as describedin claim 6, wherein the end unit includes one or more holes which extendthrough the base, wherein the lower end of the first portion includesone or more holes, wherein each of the one or more holes in the end unitare configured to align with a respective one of the one or more holesin the lower end of the first portion when the first and secondgeometric patterns are interlocked with each other.
 8. The animal trapas described in claim 1, wherein the first end of each of the uniquemembers is coupled to the bottom end of the base.
 9. The animal trap asdescribed in claim 1, wherein each of the unique members are resilientlydeformable, wherein each of the unique members are more flexible along arespective single plane than along other planes.
 10. The animal trap asdescribed in claim 9, wherein each of the unique members are leaf-springtype members.
 11. The animal trap as described in claim 1, wherein eachof the unique members include feet adjacent the bottom portion, whereineach of the feet extends past the distal end of the unique member,wherein the feet urge the unique members to flex away from each otherwhen engaging a surface.
 12. The animal trap as described in claim 1,wherein the biasing mechanism is positioned entirely between the upperend of the first portion and an upper end of the second portion.
 13. Theanimal trap as described in claim 1, wherein the trigger mechanismincludes a trigger, wherein actuation of the trigger causes a release ofthe first and second portions from the cocked position.
 14. The animaltrap as described in claim 13, wherein the trigger mechanism isself-resetting when the first and second portions are moved from thedeployed position to the cocked position.
 15. The animal trap asdescribed in claim 13, wherein the trigger is actuatable by a forceoriented in any direction parallel to a plane, the plane being orientedperpendicular to a direction of movement of the first and secondportions.
 16. The animal trap as described in claim 1, wherein theunique members protrude beyond the second portion when the first andsecond portions are in the cocked position, wherein the bottom portionis farther from the second portion when the first and second portionsare in the cocked position than when in the deployed position, whereinthe bottom portion is about adjacent a lower end of the second portionwhen in the deployed position.
 17. The animal trap as described in claim16, wherein the bottom portion and lower end of the second portion areclose enough together to come in direct contact with a part of an animaland trap the part of the animal therebetween when the first and secondportions are in the deployed position.